Improvement in trusses



J. W; SUTTON@t TRUSSES.

Patented Feb. 13, 41877.v

Y win ss'es:

fw? W2 N. PETERSv PHOT0L|THOGRAPMER, WASHINGYDN. D. C.

i ordinary or suitable construction.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE lJOHN W. SUTTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUSSES.

I Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.4 187,425, dated February 13, 1877; application tiled November 23, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. SUTTON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Ilernial .other suitable device, to limit 4the inward elastic movement or contraction of the truss when applied Ato the person, whereby the normal pressure of the truss upon the hernia may be adjusted to any desired degree by the person Wearing the same, and without removal of the truss from the body, thereby permit ting the truss to be readily and conveniently adapted to the special requirements of any particular case, and also enabling it to be used with a suitable pressure at such times as such may be necessary, and with a less or diminished pressure as the cure progresses. .The truss as thus constructed, moreover, has a rm and reliable adjustment, and is little liable to breakage and injury.

The invention further consists in the com bination of a spring with the hereinbeforementioned brace, whereby the truss is better adapted to those cases of hernia where a'yielding of the truss after a certain limit of pressure is reached is desired.

Figure 1 is an edge view of a truss constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2. is alike view of a modification thereof. Fig. 3 is an edge view, showing-a modification in one of the details thereof; and Fig. 4 is a like view, indicating another modication in such detail. v

A is the usual [iat spring of a hernial truss, having upon one end the usual bearing or other pad, B, and at the other the usual. hernial pad C. So far as concerns the flatrspring A and the pads B C, the truss may be of any Disametallic brace curved around the exterior of the spring A, substantially as represented in Figs. 1 and 2,1one end of said brace being firmly attached to the outer surface of the spring A,

at the back thereof, as represented at a. This brace D is kept at a suitable distance from the spring A by studs, lugs, or spurs b. The opposite end c of the brace D has formed upon it a screw-thread, and is passed through a bearing-piece, d, axed at or near the adjacent end of the spring A. Upon this threaded end c ofthe brace Displaced a nut, E, preferably milled upon its periphery, to facilitate the turning thereof by the thumb and linger. Also, placed upon this threaded portion c of the brace D is a jam-nut, f, provided to prevent the backward turning of the nut E.

In the use of the truss it is applied to 'the person in the usual manner, with the pads C bearing upon Vthe ring or annular muscles ,surrounding its spermatic cord, and at which, in males, the rupture ordinarily occurs. This done, the thumb or finger of one hand is placed under thepad C, and the latter is pressed outward to the position at which it `will exert the pressure, be the same more or less, which it is desired to have exerted by the padG upon the rupture. The nut E is then 'turned upon the end c of the brace until it is brought snug against thevbearing-piece d, after which the jam-nutfis brought up againstthe nut E, to prevent .the accidental reverse movement or turning of the said nut E, The parts'being in this position, the tendency to contraction o'n the part of the spring A is met and counteracted by the tensile strain brought upon the brace D, and the pressure exerted by the spring A is thereby limited to the point or degree at which it was placed or held when the nut E was turned against the bearingpiece d, as just hereinbefore explained. It will be observed that should the spring A be expanded-as, for example, by a convulsive or expanding movement of the lower part ofthe body, as in coughingthe brace D, relative to the adjacent part of the spring A, will be, as it were, elongated; that is to say, the nut E will be brought away from the bearing-piece d, whereupon the entire force of the spring, unlimited and unrestrained 'by the brace D, will be exerted to press the pad C against the rupture, and thereby support the same with an unusual pressure against the unusual strain convulsively exerted thereon--as, for example, in coughing, &c.

In some cases, however, it is not desirable that this full strength of the spring A should be thus instantaneously brought to bea-r upon the rupture. I provide for the proper action of the truss in such instances making the brace D itself longitudinally elastic, or practically capable, Within certainlim-l its, of elongation. This'I accomplish either by bending the braceD atintervals, as shown at g in Fig. 1, forming several shortA springs therein, which accomplishes the result above indicated, or by placinga small spring-beW tween the nut E andthe bcaringpiece d, as` represented at m in Fig. 3;' or, in lieu of either of these means, by inserting small springsbetween the brace D and the spring A, in lieu ot' ,the studs, lugs,.or spurs a, as represented at fn in Fig. 4.

'From' this 'last-indicated construction'y and arrangement'of the braceD it 'follows that in the normal use o'f the pad said 'brace Dis itself longitudinal, strained, or elongated;I and when the springAis expandved itis only gradually released vfrom the re- 'straining action ofthe brace'D, instead of being almost instantaneously released therefrom,

as in the first instance hereinbet'ore explained.

1t will be observed that this last-described It is manifest that the utility ot my hereindescribedyinvention is not dependent upon any particular construction of the spring A, or of the pads attached to said spring, but may be used to advantage in any truss in which the spring A is used, whether the same be what is known as a single or a double truss.

It is to be observed that inasmuch as the inward strain of the truss, when the contraction of the latter is limited, as hereinbefore ex- -plained, is simply a tensile strain upon the brace, and there is therefore little liabil' of breakage or' 'derang'ement of the' truss, W ich might occur if the adjustment was by means of any arrangement of levers or the like.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The longitudinal or circumferential springbrace D, surroun'dinga greater or less portion truss-spring A, and adjustable in'length with reference thereto by a nut or'equivalent device, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

a spring arranged to permit the greater or less elongations of said brace, substantially and for the purpose herein set forth.

JOHN W. SUTTON. Witnesses:

EDWARD HOLLY, H. WELLS, Jr.

ot' the external circumference' of the hingeless 2. In the adjustable brace D ot' the truss, 

